Pedal skirt garment



Oct. 14, 1952 G. T. MORGAN PEDAL SKIRT GARMENT Filed Dec. 12. 1950 www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PEDAL SKIRT GARMENT George Thomas Morgan, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Application December 12, 1950, Serial No. 200,386

1 claim. l

This invention relates to ladies garments and has as its general object to provide a combination pantaloon and skirt garment having the external appearance of a pleated skirt and having the characteristics of the garment commonly known as pedal pushers.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a garment which affords all of the freedom of movement characteristic of a pantaloon garment and yet at the same time has all of the advantages of a skirt-appearance-concealment of form, etc.

Another object is to provide such a garment which may be donned and taken `ofi with the same simplicity that characterizes the handling of present day skirts. In this respect, the invention contemplates a combination garment of the type indicated,'so constructed as to utilize a fastening arrangement of maximum simplicity, i. e., a closable opening in the form of a slit extending from the belt downwardly along one side of the garment, closed by a slide fastener.

A futhergobject of the invention is to provide a garment of the type indicated, which may be easily constructed.

Other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specifications and appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a garment embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same showing the front panel partially lifted and the slide fastener opened;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the garmentshowing the front and rear panels partially lifted;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the garment taken in a plane extending from front to rear;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the garment taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the garment taken on the line 6-6'of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the illustrated embodiment of my invention includes an inner pantaloon garment, designated generally by the reference letter A and a pair of outer panels B and B', normally covering a majority of the area of the pantaloons A so as to completely conceal the nature thereof and give to the garment, as shown in Fig. 1, the appearance of a paneled skirt. The paneled effect is produced by the spacing of the left edge I of the front panel B from the left side margin II of the left leg I2 of the pantaloons A, and the corresponding spacing of the right edge I3 of the rear panel B' from the right side margin I4 of the right leg I of the pantaloon A.

The front panel B has its left edge I0 completely free of the left side of the pantaloon garment A, except at the waist line, where the upper extremity of panel B is secured, together 2 with the upper extremities of the forward walls of pant legs I2, I5, beneath a belt band I'I which encircles the waist of the garment to form the belt of the garment. Similarly, the rear panel B has its right edge I3 completely free from the right side of the pantaloon garment A except at the upper extremity of panel B' which is secured beneath belt I'I.

The right side extremity of front panel B, throughout its length, is attached to the right side margin of right pantaloon leg I5 in any suitable manner, as by means of a line of stitching I8 (Figs.5 and 6). Similarly, the left side extremity of rear panel B' is attached to the left side margin II of left pantaloon leg I2 by a suitable means such as the line of stitching I9, which extends from the lower extremity of pant leg I2 up to a point within from one fourth to one fth of the height of the pant leg below the belt I'I, where a slide fastener 20 commences.` From this point up to belt l1, the left side edge of the forward wall of pant leg I2 is secured to one side portion of slide fastener 25 and the left side margin of the rear wall of pant leg I2 and of rear panel B are both secured to the other side portion of slide fastener 20, as indicated in Fig. 5.

Belt II has two end portions 2| and 22 which are provided with suitable means, such as hook and eye fasteners, for connecting them together so as to close the belt and secure the upper extremity of the slide fastener against being forced open. End portion 22 of the belt projects sufficiently to allow a normal overlap of the free ends of the belt.

The inner lateral margins of pant legs I2 and I5 merge at a normal distance below the waist line to form a crotch. The crotch is reinforced by a band 23 (Fig. 5) which bridges between the two pant legs and is sewed to the inner margins. From the crotch upwardly to the belt II, the inner margins of the forward walls of pant legs I2 and I5 are sewed together by a line of stitching indicated at 24,- and similarly, the inner margins of the rear walls of pant legs I2, I5 are sewed together from the crotch to the waist line by a line of stitching 24.

The preferable construction of the garment is from six separate pieces of material, including two pieces for each pant leg and one piece for each of the panels B, B. When thus constructed, the inner margins of pant legs I2, I5 are joined by lines of stitching 25. The seams I8, I9 and 25 are turned inwardly as indicated in Fig. 6, in accordance with conventional practice.

The upper portion of the garment is shaped inwardly to fit the double curvature of the hip regions of a body, by conventional means such as darts which are indicated at 26 in Figs. 1 and 2.

Complete freedom of movement of the legs of a 3 wearer is provided for by the complete separation between the respective halves of the garment. Thus, right pant leg I5 and front panel B constitute one half of the garment, while left pant leg I2 and rear panel B constitute the other half of the garment. The only connection between these two halves of the garment is the connection between pant legs I2 and I5 through lines of stitching 24, 24' from the crotch to the waist line, and the connection of the front panel to the front wall of the pantaloon garment A and the rear panel B to the rear wall of the pantaloon garment A, at the belt I'I. Thus it is possible for the legs of the wearer to be spread as desired, the two halves of the garment simply spreading apart to whatever extent is required by the spreading movement of the legs. In such spreading movement, the right pant leg I5 will move laterally away from rear panel B' and correspondingly the left pant leg I2 will move laterally from behind the front panel B, more of the pant legs becoming exposed. Considerable spreading movement is permitted, however, before the inner margins of the pant legs becomes visible and thus the garment retains its skirt appearance through a considerable rangeof spreading movement. Since the `free edges of panels B, B are normally spaced from the corresponding side edges of the pant legs, there is merely a change in the degree of spacing between the side margins, rather than a change in the character of appearance.

Others have previously proposed the utilization offrent and back panels to cover the crotch of a pantaloon garment, or a semi-pantaloon garment both front and rear. However, such prior garments have not been fully satisfactory, and do not embody theimproved construction of my improved garment. In some cases, the prior proposals suggest a pair of covering,r panels, free at their upper edges, adapted to wrap around the legsV and to be secured at the sides but` not at the upper edges. One objection -to such an arrangement is that it requires the use of separable fastener means at both sides of the garment. Another objection is that it does no-t provide a satisfact-cry waist structure. Otherproposals embody the proposed use of wraparound frontend rear panels with a. crotch connecting their inner sides but without the use of full pant-legs. The same objections apply to such arrangements. Otherproposals embodyv the use of pant legs covered by front and rear panels which are connected by accordion pleating to the pant legs at both side margins of each panel, so that there is no complete separation between two halves of the garment. Such garments do notaiord the complete freedom of movement which is a primary characteristic of my invention.

My improved garment embodies the novel and improved combination of full pan-t legswith front and rear panels each of which is secured to a respective pant legalong its side margin and is also secured to the front wall of theparitaloon garment along' the waist line, with its other side edge completely free. It also embodies, in such novel combination, the simple expedient of utilizing a slit in the outerside of one pant leg,l closed by suitable separable fastener means such as a yslide fastener, for opening up the garment when itis to be donned or taken olf, and for securing the garment upon the body of the wearer.L The result is an exceedingly simple garment having the combined advantages of pedal pushers and skirt, having double protection for warmth, hating extreme freedom of movement, having all of the advantages, from an appearance standpoint, of a loose, pleated skirt, and capable of being donned and taken on" with maximum rapidity and ease.

The garmentis useful for all types of recreation, such as bicycle riding, tennis playing, golfing, skiing, hiking, and housework. The garment may also be used in bowling, boating, marching, campus wear, and for military and civilian uniforms.

It will be understood. that the slide fastener need not be located exactly at a side extremity of the garment. It could belocated in either pant legalong the free edge of the skirt panel overlapping the same, or beneath a panel near the free edge thereof.

Iclaim:

vIn a combination garment having a belt delining the waist extremity thereof: an inner garment comprising front and rear sections, side seams joining said front and rear sections to define respective side margins of the garment, at least one of said seams terminating at a point below said belt to denne av slit in the corresponding side margin, for opening said inner garment atv said waist extremity, and separable fastener means for closing said slit, said inner garment comprising a complete, independent bifurcated garment the lower portion'of which comprises a pair of laterally separated pantaloon. leg members; and in combination therewith, a pair of front and rear panel members, each secured throughout its width at its upper extremity to said belt along the upper extremity of a respective one of said inner garment sections and extending downwardly from said belt to the lower extremities of said leg members throughout the full length of said bifurcated inner garment, said panels corresponding substantially in shape and area to thefront and rear areas of the bifurcated garment, respectively, and, in their normal, freely pendant positions, substantially covering said front and rea-r areas so as to completely conceal the separationyof said legmembers, said panels being said yfrontand. rear panels having lateral margins attached` to the inner garment at the opposite side seams thereof, each panel being thus attached to a respectiverside seam at one of its lateral margins, extending substantially the width of the inner garment, and having its opposite lateralI margin free'y and slightly spaced from the otherside seam to provide a pleated effect adjacent said other side seam.

GEORGE THOMAS MORGAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number l Name Date 555,535 A lSessler Mar. 3, 1896 1,091,827 Galluzzo -r Mar. 21, 1914 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 121,323 Switzerland July 1, 1927 

